Hell Up In (well north of) Harlem

Where the heck did this United Palace Theater come from? It just recently opened and in the next month, starting on Monday, it will have The Stooges, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, and Bjork.

And another new venue, the Highline Ballroom is getting kicked off over the next couple months with shows from Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Talib Kweli, Secret Machines, and the current chanteuse of the month Amy Winehouse.

Meanwhile, Sin-e has bit the dust, joining the long lines of departed clubs in New York's ever changing landscape. Sin-e, CBGB, and NorthSix have been replaced, more or less, by the revamped Luna Lounge, Studio B, and Europa. But the big trend seems to be to bigger theaters as the United Palace Theater and the Highline Ballroom will soon be joined by the Gramercy Theater.

And the other big New York giggage news is that Irving Plaza is being rebranded as the Filmore at Irving Plaza.